The Portland daily press., 1887-09-08
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE.
One of New York's Busiest Men
Makes Some Predlctlons-A Man
Who Talks Like w. C. s. Keene.

lffOm Henry OleWS'S fefSOndl hecOucctlOnS.l
Suppose we look 100 years ahead, and cal
culating upsn the factors and experiences Of
the last 100 years, imagine what the picture
will be of this town as city, and this peo-
pie as a nation. I.belieye that 100 years
hence the era Of bridges between this city
and those which adjoin it across the rivers
will have passed away, and that instead Of
one or two or five bridges across the East
River, we will have pneumatic tubes at every
pier, and believe the same will be true on
either side and the end of the island These
will spread from New York, as the veins in
the human body spread out and are supplied
from the heart; for New York is not only
the business heart of this country, but it is
destined to be, SO surely as God permits
growth, the business heart of the world, and
the money center of the world. And the
veins from this center will distribute the
blood all over and In all directions. Through
these pneumatic tubes believe there will
be almost instantaneous communication or
transportation Of people from one point to
another. Nor will this be confined to New
York city only. In the near future the
Trunk Line railroad to leading points, such
as Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and
Chicago, will probably run trains at the rate
OF 100 miles an hour, and even this will only
be beginning. To admit of this, steel rails
will be required of about double their pres
ent weight, and the wheels must be proper
tionately massive and strong. The risk at
tendant upon such increased speed win be
no greater than the ordinary speed of the
present day. say forty miles an hour.
But the time will come. during the next
five generations, when the pneumatic tubes
will extend from here to these central points
OF the East and the West and the South and
1t will be possible for man to leave New
York at o'clock and go to Chicago for
breakfast, transact his business and return
to New York for lunch or business appoint
ment by II O'Clock noon of the same day.
OF course one of the problems to be solved
IN connection with this sort of meteoric
speed will be to supply air for breathing
purposes, and the same compressed air
which will shoot the carriage through the
tube will be in some form utilized for the
purpose. This, however, only for period,
for think the time must come when cleo
tricity will be the one motive power of this
country and Of the world, so far as the trans.
portation of people and property is con-
eerned. Time Is money, and the American
idea is to save time. We now waste little
enough of it in all conscience. The greatest
business of the world, that Of the New York
Stock Exchange, is already compressed into
five hours time; and yet it is business in
which the most trivial error or accident, be-
cause of haste, might cause losses of mil
lions. The 0bliteration of time is neces-
sity Of American enterprise.
When electricity is made the general pro-
pelling power, it is likely that stationary
engine will be located at Niagara Falls, and
the force and power OF those waters utilized
to supply all the needed propelling power
for this State, if not even beyond, to re-
moved and far-Oh sections Of our country.
heard it once said by an intelligent authori-
ty that 1t had been predicted that instead Of
the coal mines of this country sending their
products hundreds and thousands Of miles
away. for transportation power, at great
expense, stationary engine would be To-
Gated at the mouth of the mine, and the
power derived from the coal transmitted
therefrOm over an electric wire. This would
indeed be great transformation, and a
great Improvement and great economy.
But greater change, one quite as likely in
the future, and perhaps possibly within the
lifetime of some of our children, will be the
abolition of railroads by the pneumatic tube
process, and the Transmission Of power as l
have suggested.
A hundred years hence the people who
then occupy our places will look upon us as
primitive and crude, or, in accordance with
the Darwinian theory, as the monkeys from
which their perfected race has been deyel-
oped. In fact, there is good deal Of Dar-
winism in our development in business
sense If not in a human sense. As the sur
r0undings grow so does the intellect of the
human race, and there is no telling what we
maydoor what we may become-pr0vided we
live long enough. We have plenty of room,
plenty of power, plenty OF natural ability.
and we make our own opportunities; all we
lack in this world is time and perfect science,
and IL time is given to us we may be able to
show what giants OF enterprise free people
may become; that, as the first choice Of Gods
creation, we lack nothing
The city of New York donated to the gov
ernment the site in the City Hall Park where
the New York post Office now stands. 1t was
the original intention that the building
should be only three stories in height. The
Gaping was already on, and the roof was in
the primitive stages of construction, when,
walking down Broadway one morning, as /
passed the structure, the thought occurred to
me that, for building of its size and heavy
granite exterior, its height was dispropor-
tionate, and gave it dwarfted appearance
and lack OF symmetry Besides that, what
ever space could be added to 1t by the in
crease to its height, even though the addi-
tlonal room might be surplus for the time
being, the time would soon come when even
more would be needed. l wrote to Archi-
tect Mullett, calling his attention to these
facts, and insisting that, in cOnfining the
building to three stories, he was making a
mistake; that 1t was not in keeping with the
magnificence Of the structure; that 1t should
have one or more additional stories, with a
mansard addition besides, and that the busi-
ness experience OF the past most certainly
demonstrated that the room would soon be
needed by the government for the proper
conduct of its affairs in this, the greatest
business center of the country. Within a
week Mr.. Mullett called to see me, and con-
vlnced him that was correct in my criti-
eism and predictions. He said, In reply
But there Is no appropriation; the money
appropriated is exhausted, and the building
cannot be enlarged" asked him; "Well,
what is necessary to be done in the matter ?
Suppose | write TO Mr.. Boutwell,, the Secre-
tary OF the Treasury, about it, and urge that
the building be enlarged as l suggest" Mr..
Mullet approved Of the suggestion, and L ad-
ded: II will write to several members of
Congress 10 the same effect" This L did,
let informed me that my efforts In the mat
ter had been successful and he had received
orders to go ahead and make the building
four stories in height, with mansard roof
story besides.